Naval Air Program

Naval Air Warfare Center- Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Project Name: Test Equipment Inventory Tracking

Background:
The Jet Propulsion Lab JPL tests jet engines and other aircraft mechanisms for future development, or for performance evaluation based on the US military’s objectives and requirements. Various testing labs all over the base require the use of very specialized monitoring equipment that is used and then returned to secure storage facilities. There is a group within the JPL that is responsible for the acquisition, storage and distribution of the monitoring equipment as well as maintenance and calibration of the equipment. Many items require regular maintenance and calibration. This is a costly process and until now has been charged to this group.

Client Problem:

1. Ability to track equipment by location and know who had it last.
2. Ability to cross charge the cost of calibration to the testing facility who used the equipment.
3. Ability to take a base wide inventory quickly and in an automated fashion.

Tasks Performed:

• Requirements analysis and system design.
• Created an online inventory database with all inventory stored in the system.
• Implemented inventory tracking process using barcode labeling and hand held scanners. Users can query the database for specific equipment by Category/Department/Class, or by Manufacturer and model number, by User, or Location.
• Developed a module that allows users to checkout equipment to test cells and individuals, keeping an active log of check in and checkout activity for all monitoring equipment.
• Developed a module to track equipment calibration history and costs attributed to the services performed.
• Implemented reporting system that identifies which equipment has returned from calibration and the test cell that will be charged the calibration cost.

Project Highlights:

• Users now know where items are, who had them last and can start charging costs to the test cells, saving them 10s of 1000s of dollars per year.
• Client has identified many items, which were either misplaced or lost. They were able to identify a large number of testing devices, which are no longer usable and have been retired, making room for newer more effective testing equipment.
• The users have more time to follow up on maintenance and calibration issues of over-billing, late deliveries and other issues that create a hindrance to a test cell.
• Hand held data collectors – used for taking physical inventory, adding new items to inventory or transferring items from one location to another.
• Wireless wedge – Used for check in and checkout of items in storeroom. Saves time by being able to scan the item as it is removed from the shelf, rather than having to take the item back to the workstation for checkout.
• Implemented a voice response module. When a user is in the very back of the storeroom and scans the item for checkout, the system verbally announces “Good Scan” so that the user is notified that the checkout was successful. It also announces “Bad Scan” on incorrect or wrong items scanned.
• Symbol Technologies and Videx equipment were integrated for the system.
• The system allows users to immediately see available equipment and location.
• Developed the systems using Microsoft SQLServer 7.0 and Borland’s Delphi 5.0